Monthly Archives: October 2018

DON´T LET ANYONE DECEIVE YOU!

Para GRUPO SENECA MÉXICO it is of utmost importance to build trust with our distributors and retailers through an open communication guaranteeing them that our products are fully legal in Mexico.

The following is certain information to allow our partners to identify national and imported cigarettes legally marketed in Mexico and thus AVOID ANY ABUSE BY THE AUTHORITY AND ILLEGAL SEIZURE (THEFT OF MERCHANDISE) that may happen during the transportation and marketing of Mexican and imported cigarettes.

For said purpose, it is important to take the following into consideration:

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Udayappan Subramanian, of Haymarket, Virginia, was sentenced to 12 months probation for unlawful cigarette smuggling, First Assistant United States Attorney Randy Bernard announced today.

Subramanian, age 41, pled guilty to one count of “Trafficking of Contraband Cigarettes” in June 2018. He transporting large quantities of contraband cigarettes across state lines for redistribution and sale. The cigarettes were acquired in Virginia, where the tax rate for cigarettes is one of the lowest in the nation, and sold in other states, including New York, which has one of the nation’s highest tax rates. The cigarettes were possessed and transported in West Virginia.

To make matters worse, the distribution of contraband cigarettes is on the rise. Illicit tobacco products now make up more than 10% of total consumption, a figure that is drastically higher in some regions, such as the Balkans. These undercover smokes substantially exacerbate the problem of toxic ingredients seeping into the water table, as they often contain far higher levels of noxious chemicals, such as cadmium or arsenic. They also aggravate tobacco’s harmful effects on health. The tax revenue lost through illicit trade — the European Union, for example, bleeds more than €10 billion each year — undermines public health initiatives, while the smuggled cigarettes’ low prices keep smokers hooked. The tobacco industry is well aware of how the illicit tobacco trade continues to fuel their business, hence why — despite paying lip service to the fight against cigarette smuggling — the tobacco titans have consistently been involved in the illegal practice themselves.